The all-American match between Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima headlines Friday’s semi-finals at the Acapulco ATP 500. Flavio Cobolli and Miomir Kecmanovic are also aiming for a spot in the title match.
(8) Frances Tiafoe vs. Brandon Nakashima
Tiafoe and Nakashima will face off for the eighth time in their careers when they square off in the semi-finals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Friday night. The head-to-head series stands at 6-1 in Tiafoe’s favor (5-1 on the grand tour) after he recently won 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the 2025 semis in Houston. The 28-year-old has won 12 of his last 16 sets.
Both players look good in Acapulco. Nakashima eliminated Elias Ymer and Patrick Kypson in straight sets before beating Valentin Vacherot 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarters. Tiafoe fought back to two match points in the second round against Aleksandar Kovacevic but otherwise outlasted Nuno Borges and Mattia Bellucci. Given the limited consistency in form, it’s hard to look past the huge advantage Tiafoe has had in this game.
Pick: Tiafoe at 3
Miomir Kecmanovic vs. (5) Flavio Cobolli
This time last year, Cobolli was on a nine game losing streak. In 2026, his January-February streak ended at four games. The 20th-ranked Italian came off his mark with a semifinal appearance in Delray Beach and now finds himself in another semifinal following Acapulco victories over Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, Dalibor Svrcina, and Yibing Wu.
Next up for Cobolli on Friday is a second meeting with Kecmanovic, who won their first match 6-1, 6-2 on the hard courts of Naples in 2022. Like his opponent, Kecmanovic struggled but picked up steam in the second half of the February skier. The 84th-ranked Serb pushed Student Tien to a three-set breaker in the second round of Delray Beach and has been dominant this week, defeating Tristan Schoolkate, Alexander Zverev, and Terence Atmane. Cobolli hasn’t beaten anyone ranked higher than 66 this season, and Kecmanovic – whatever his ranking might suggest – is certainly playing in the top 50 right now and maybe even in the top 30.
Pick: Kecmanovic at 3
